Companions
by BunBunBabe
Summary: Peter gets two calls in the middle of the night, one telling him Neal's out of his radius and the other telling him to come to a crime scene.Only Neal could get in trouble at two in the morning.Set after 1st season expect spoilers,no slash. Part I of WTRS
1. Chapter 1

**((Hey everyone, You know the drill I don't own White Collar if I did the season would have been longet and Neal would be shirtless in every scene. I make no money off this as you know)) (( I would like to thank peppe1951 for ideas and kenziealizabeth for all you're help on reading and now on witht he story))**

**Chapter 1: Lost Time**

Peter trudged through the nearly ankle deep mud of the empty lot, it had stopped raining after two days of on and off downpours. The FBI agent saw the other members of his team coming toward him. Peter had gotten a call that Neal's tracker had gone out of its range, when he had gotten off the phone with the U.S. Marshalls the second call came from Jones. It was one call he never wanted to ever get.

"Don't do it Peter…" Jones said as he tried to stop Peter from moving any farther across the empty lot. A cold November wind howled through the lot. Ignoring the warning Peter walked over and looked down at the covered body. "Let me see…" he ordered as the coroner's assistant pulled the sheet down.

Neal was laying face up in the mud his hair caked in mud; his clothes were torn and disheveled. As he crouched closer Peter sighed "Neal what happened to you?" Peter mumbled as he looked down at his friend and partner. The coroner walked over "Agent Burke… we have to take the body now." He said waving his men over with the gurney.

Peter reached over to pull the sheet back up over Neal's face; just then Neal bolted up right and looked around the group. The shock of a man thought to be dead made some of members of the group jump back.

"Jesus, Neal, you scared us half to death" Peter said as he moved his hand from over his heart. The coroner looked at one of his men "Call this in, we need some paramedics down here to check him out." He ordered.

Neal put his hand on the back of his head "My head is killing me…what happened, and who are you anyway? You called me Neal is that my name?" Neal asked looking at Peter.

_Memory loss…though I guess that's expected with a knock like that. _Peter thought as the paramedics pulled up and made their way through the mud to the two men. Neal was beginning to shiver from his mud soaked suit and cold wind.

After he was cleared to move the paramedics put Neal in the ambulance and wrapped him in blankets to try and raise his body temperature. Peter sat with Neal as he was taken to the nearest hospital for care.

All Peter could think about was the last few hours, he had dropped Neal off and June's for the night and made his way home and had a quiet evening with Elizabeth. Everything was normal till he got the phone call telling him that Neal had left his two mile radius. Seconds later came the call that made his heart stop even after what had happened.

"Neal can you remember anything that happened to you even the smallest detail?" Peter asked as he attempted to keep Neal awake till they got to the hospital.

Sighing Neal looked at his friend that he couldn't remember. "Look, I can't remember anything so don't waste your time asking even." Neal said keeping his head still since it felt like it was being repeatedly struck with a sledgehammer.

Peter looked at his watch for a moment, he knew Elizabeth would has still been awake waiting for his call on why he had to leave the house in the middle of the night.

The paramedic kept a close eye on Neal as they backed up to the emergency room doors and brought the con inside. Peter kept close to Neal as he was checked over by the doctor on call.

"Well you're a very lucky man Mr. Caffrey, a gouge this deep should have killed you" The doctor commented as the nurse readied the suture tray for him.

Peter gave the smallest smirk "I always knew he was hard headed, what about the amnesia how long is that going to last?" Peter asked as he stood at the end of the bed.

"I have no idea; it could last a couple hours to a couple weeks even. You said that he didn't even remember his own name; with so much forgotten it could take awhile for everything to come back to him. I would like to keep him here tonight just to keep an eye on him, after that he can go home and go back to his daily life. If you keep doing everything normally his memories should come back quickly. Mental stimulation is said to bring memories back very quickly." The doctor said as numbed the wound before stitching it up.

* * *

When Neal was set up in a hospital room Peter flashed his badge allowing him to spend the night. "Neal do you remember anything, anything at all?" Peter asked taking a seat next to the hospital bed.

Neal turned his head toward the federal agent "I told you before I don't remember anything. You don't need to baby sit me like some child." Neal said as he looked at the covered window "I'm not going to run away, I have no idea who I am or where I am for that matter so I'm not going anywhere" he added.

Peter slid his jacket and gun holster off "Memories or not I'm not leaving you alone for a second; whoever did this to you thinks you're dead. If they find out you're still alive they could try and finish the job" Peter said as he got comfortable in the uncomfortable chair.

Giving a loud defeated sigh Neal rolled onto his side to avoid putting his head on the pillow as much as possible. The drugs the nurse gave him finally began to take effect; soon the room became hazy as Neal fell into a deep sleep.

After an hour of watching Neal sleep Peter got out of the chair and stretched, he craved a cup of coffee, even the crappy hospital coffee would sustain him till the local coffee shops were open. One of the night nurses walked into Neal's room with an extra blanket and handed it to Peter.

"Is there anything I could get you agent Burke?" she asked as Peter took the blanket from her. With a smile Peter put the blanket down on the chair. "No I'm fine" he said as he walked around the small room.

Peter checked his watch it was close to two in the morning he sighed as he checked on Neal. He left the room and closed the door behind him as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket.

"Jones I want you and Lauren to get me a timeline on Neal's movements from when I dropped him off at seven-thirty to when he was found in that lot. Even the slightest detail matters so make sure we know everything."Peter ordered as he hung up his phone and put it back in his pocket.

The FBI agent walked back into the hospital room Neal was breathing in and out softly. Peter sighed as picked up the blanket and got himself comfortable in the very uncomfortable hospital chair.

_Hopefully we'll be able to figure out who did this to him. _Peter thought as he draped the blanket over his body. "Goodnight Neal…" he said as he closed his eyes and tried to sleep.

* * *

Elizabeth had been too worried to go back to bed; she knew if it was important Peter would have called her. He had dressed and ran out of the house after two phone calls.

She knew that two calls in a row meant that Neal had left his radius and the second call meant he had done something wrong that had either the local police or the FBI involved.

Not wanting to be alone while she waited Elizabeth let Satchmo the lovable golden lab onto the bed to take Peter's place.

"Don't worry Satch; I'm sure your father will be home soon, Neal just got into some trouble again." Elizabeth said as she shut the light on the night stand off.

The glow from outside the bedroom window barely lit up the room, Elizabeth lay under the comforter. Even with Satchmo next to her sleep wasn't coming. Reaching onto the nightstand Elizabeth grabbed the cordless phone and dialed Reese Hughes's number, she waited as the other line rang a few times before it was answered.

"He's at the hospital with Caffrey who seems to have amnesia; he can't seem to remember even his own name so Peter decided to stay at the hospital so Caffrey doesn't run off." Reese said knowing exactly what Elizabeth wanted.

Elizabeth smiled into the phone "Thank you Reese, I'm sorry I called so late." Elizabeth said before hanging up. With a renewed sense that her husband was fine Elizabeth put the phone back on the charger and tried to sleep.

Just as Elizabeth began to fall asleep the doorbell rang. Letting out a loud groan she pushed the heavy covers off and slipped her robe on. She made her way down to the front door and opened it.

"Mozzie it's two in the morning what are you doing here?" Elizabeth asked as she let the older man into her house. The short bald man took a seat on the couch. "June called me she said Neal left the house at nine last night and he never came back." Mozzie said as Elizabeth turned a couple lights on.

Elizabeth took a seat on one of the dining room chairs "Neal's in the hospital, he has amnesia; apparently it's serious…Neal doesn't even remember his own name. I really don't know any more than that myself."Elizabeth said sighing lightly as she looked at her guest.

Mozzie removed his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "So he doesn't even remember Kate or what happened to her."He said solemnly "If he doesn't remember anything or anybody does that me the suit is going to put Neal back in prison since he is no longer useful?" Mozzie asked.

"Peter would never do that, he's sitting in Neal's hospital room right now making sure Neal is fine. I really don't know any more than that. I'm sure that Peter will have more information for all of us later today." She said smiling. "Mozzie would you like a cup of coffee?" Elizabeth asked as she made her way into the kitchen. She knew that sleep was going to elude her.

When Elizabeth walked into the kitchen her eyes fell on a picture of Neal and Peter at a FBI dinner. In the years Peter had been chasing the con Elizabeth noticed that whenever her husband would talk about Neal there was admiration even when he was telling her how the now ex con had gotten away or sent him a gift or the birthday cards Neal sent.

As the coffee pot percolated Elizabeth walked back into the living room. "The coffee will be ready soon, and Mozzie Neal will probably be released from the hospital later today they are just keeping him for observations." Elizabeth said with a small smile.

Mozzie sighed as he put his glasses back on. "With Neal like this he isn't safe; there are a lot of people who would love to take advantage of this opportunity. If he can't remember his enemies then he's an easy target." Mozzie said in a worried tone.

"Mozzie can you think of anyone that would do this to Neal, Peter can help protect him if he knows who to watch out for." Elizabeth said hoping to help the ex con.

* * *

Neal tossed and turned in his sleep his thrashing woke Peter, the agent got up and held Neal down on the bed. "Calm down Neal its okay I'm here…"Peter said as he calmed the younger man down by rubbing back and whispering to him softly.

Over the years of chasing Neal around Peter had started to think of Neal as a troublemaking younger brother that he never had. Seeing him vulnerable when Kate died was minimal compared to how Neal was now.

"Neal I'm going to find who did this to you and I will make them pay" Peter whispered as he pulled the blanket back up to keep Neal warm. _He may not remember anything but that doesn't mean that his nightmares will go away; he's still haunted by what happened._ Peter thought as he resumed rubbing Neal's back softly.

When Peter was absolutely sure Neal was sound asleep he moved off the edge of the bed his cell phone fixed to his ear.

"Jones, tell me you figured something out about what happened to Neal?" Peter asked as he watched Neal like a hawk he wanted to be there in case of anymore nightmares or even when Neal woke up to see if he could remember anything yet about that night.

The other agent sighed over the phone "All I can tell you is that Neal stayed within his radius, most likely in a car, what I can also tell is from Neal's tracker is someone took something metal to it a baseball bat or a pipe, it's busted beyond recognition someone made sure that we would know where Neal was only after they dumped him." he said looking over the information on the computer.

"We'll keep looking into it but the information is sketchy at best, Lauren and I will try and figure out something. I tell you what we come up with later." Jones said suppressing a yawn as he hung up.

Peter closed his phone and sat back down on the chair beside Neal's bed. Reaching over to the small lamp on the nightstand he turned the small switch with a loud click. As he sat in the dark Peter let sleep reclaim him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Ticking Clock**

The bustling noises of the hospital woke Peter when his eyes snapped open the first thing he saw was an empty bed. It took Peter a moment to see Neal's hair sticking up from the other side of the bed. Standing up very slowly Peter saw Neal crying his hands practically ripping his hair out.

Peter moved around the bed, a large folder was lying on the floor in front of Neal the pages were spread out in a fan pattern. Immediately Peter realized that it was Neal's file, every little detail of Neal's life written on the papers. Surveillance photos stuck out between the detailed reports.

Moving quickly Peter scooped up the papers and dumped them on the bed. "Neal…Neal what's wrong?" he asked pulling the younger man into his arms trying to calm him down. Peter was furious that someone would leave the file out like that.

"This is my life… in such detail…and I can't remember any of it…everything I've done, the people I know." Neal whimpered as he wiped his nose on his sleeve. "My head is killing me and now you're mad at me." He added fresh tears going down his cheeks.

At that moment Peter felt his heart ache, the man before him wasn't the Neal Caffrey he knew, and without his memories Neal was more like a little kid than ever. It was difficult for Peter to reign in his anger but he knew he had to do it to calm Neal down.

"I'm not mad at you Neal, you haven't done anything to make me mad in a long time" Peter said pulling Neal into his arms. When he was sure Neal had finally calmed down Peter pulled away and helped the ex con back onto his bed. "Now stay here and don't move" he ordered as he collected the papers and photos from Neal's folder and put them back into the large folder before walking out of the room.

It took Peter all of three minutes to track the desk jockey agent that left the file in Neal's room. "Hey… who told you to bring this folder? He's not ready to see all that at once." Peter said

The young agent was shaking "Agent Hughes said that Caffrey would need is information before going back to work today" he replied as he took a step away from Peter. "Go back to the office and tell Hughes that Neal is nowhere near ready to return to work. If he has a problem with that tell him to call me" Peter said thrusting the folder back at the agent and walking back to Neal's room.

Neal had grown bored of waiting and decided to watch some television; he had flipped though the history channel and some infomercials. When he landed on ESPN he stopped and began to watch.

Peter walked into the hospital room "You're watching sports?" Peter asked as he sat back down in the empty chair. Neal looked at the agent "I don't watch sports? I mean I admit I really don't understand it but it seems interesting" Neal said as he turned the television off. "Agent Burke…why are you here, are we related?" he asked trying to wrack his empty mind for any information.

"Call me Peter, and no we're not related… I'm your handler; you work for the FBI as a consultant in the White Collar crimes division." Peter said hoping that the information would trigger some kind of memory.

Neal shook his head "I don't remember any of it; those files said I broke out of prison months before my release but I don't understand why…why did I do it? It seems stupid to do such a thing." Neal said looking at his partner.

Peter gave a sad smile "You did it for Kate" he replied watching for any recognition from the ex con. Neal looked at the floor as he mentally searched for a face to go with the name. When nothing came to him he sighed. "Nothing, she must be really important to me… I wish I could remember her" Neal said looking up.

"You were crazy about her; it took you probably all of ten seconds to come up with your escape plan when she left you." Peter remarked.

* * *

Jones walked back to his computer with a fresh cup of coffee, he had been staring at the same information for hours looking for some clue. He knew that the tracking records weren't enough of a clue to figuring out what happened to Neal. After looking the information over he grabbed the note pad off his desk.

"Any luck yet?" Lauren asked as she walked back over to her partner's desk and looking at the notepad in his hand. Jones shook his head and tossed the pad back on his desk. "Nothing, all we know is that between nine and eleven last night Neal traveled around his radius before going to the lot where he was found at midnight by NYPD." Jones said stretching his neck from side to side.

Lauren bit her lip in thought as she picked up the notepad "We just don't have enough information, if we could just find another clue even a tiny one it could help." she said as she sat herself in the empty chair beside Jones. Both agents sighed as their boss walked up behind them.

"You two have been working all night, take a break, I don't need you two falling asleep in the field. Caffrey may be important but you have other things to do as well."Hughes said as he looked at the sleep deprived agents.

Both agents wanted to continue looking for who had harmed Neal but they knew that Hughes was right. "Is there any more news about Neal sir?" Lauren asked as she got up from her chair.

Reese looked at his agents "I sent someone to the hospital to check on them, until he gets back I'm in the dark as much as the rest of you." Hughes replied as he looked at the computer screen once more. "I'll be in my office, when the agent gets here send him in." Hughes said as he walked back up the stairs to his office.

As soon as Reese got to his office the probationary agent returned to the office still shaking as he walked up the stairs to office. The agent took a deep breath before walking into Hughes's office.

"Sir, Agent Burke said that Mr. Caffrey isn't ready and he wants you to call if there are any problems with his choice to keep Mr. Caffrey away from work" The agent said as he put the folder down on Hughes's desk. Reese gripped a stainless steel pen in his hand with such force that it nearly bent in half. "Thank you agent Weiss, you can go back to your desk now and shut the door behind you" he said taking the phone from its cradle. After dialing Peter's number Reese waited for his agent to pickup.

Peter muted the television as before answering the phone "I had a feeling that you would be calling sir, I know you're going to say that I need to bring Neal in, but he needs his rest the doctor said so." Peter said looking over at the younger man watching the closed caption on the muted television.

"He needs to come in for a new ankle tracking unit, just because he says that he has amnesia doesn't mean he isn't faking. Don't forget Caffrey is a con artist he makes a living by lying Peter." Reese said worrying about his agent.

Peter gave a small sigh "I'll have him at the office within the hour sir, but he can't stay for too long he needs his rest. We're getting ready to leave as we speak sir." Peter said hoping that his boss would take it easy on the injured ex con. "Just get him here" Reese said before hanging up.

Neal was too interested in the game on the television to notice Peter moving around the room collecting the clean clothes someone had left at the hospital for Neal. "Hurry up and get dressed we have to go into the office for a while then I'm taking you home." Peter said as he turned the television off.

When Neal finished dressing the doctor checked him once more and asked him some questions to see if it was alright for him to be released. "I want you to take it easy Mr. Caffrey; you gave a lot of people quite a scare last night." the doctor said as he signed Neal's chart so he could be released.

"So where are we going Peter?" Neal asked as he was lead from the hospital. Peter smirked "We're going to the office for a few minutes to get your tracking anklet and I need to pick up a few things." Peter said as he held the passenger side door open for Neal.

After getting into the agent's car Neal fiddled with the radio. When he landed on one song he stopped and looked out the passenger side window. "I didn't know you liked love songs from the early eighties." Peter remarked glancing over at his partner.

The ex con looked at his friend "I don't think I like this song I just feel like I have listen to it for some reason." Neal said as he put his head back against the head rest gently. As he began to close his eyes he began to remember the dream he had from the night before but it was slipping out of his mind like water in a strainer.

Peter kept his eyes on the road as he arrived at the parking garage he pulled into a spot and turned the engine off. "Come on Neal we have to get inside." Peter said as he got out of the car and waited for Neal.

As they made their way into the building Neal looked around like he was a little kid, by the time they made it up to the white collar division Neal was tapping his foot on the floor.

When the elevator door opened Neal came face to face with the entire white collar unit. Lauren moved over to Neal and gave him a hug. After making it through the group of agents Neal was smiling.

"Thanks everyone" Neal said as Peter led him to his old desk. "Sit down and don't even think about moving from this desk."Peter remarked as he waited for Neal to sit. "I'll be right back" he added as he walked away from Neal's desk.

Neal picked up a case file and began to look it over as Jones walked over and sat on the edge of the desk. "How you feeling?" he asked. Neal looked at the agent "I'm good, nothing a few aspirin and beer wouldn't cure" Neal said with a smile.

Peter grabbed the cases files from his desk and shoved them under his arm as he walked back to Neal's desk where other agents were gathered. "All right you'll get to question him when he comes back to work next week. He needs his rest doctor's orders" Peter said as he saved Neal from the throng of agents wanting to ask Neal if he remembered anything yet.

"So I really work with all these people, but I thought you said I was a con artist?" Neal asked as he walked into the elevator with Peter.

* * *

Alex walked around looking for an easy mark, the hundreds of people around her when she found the right mark she made her way towards him. In the blink of an eye she had his wallet in her purse._ Another easy grab…_ Alex thought as she walked down the sidewalk.

After walking four blocks Alex slipped into an internet café. She paid for an hour on the computer in the corner of the near empty café. Alex began to search the websites of every local newspaper. There was no news on Neal's body being discovered. "Where is he then?" Alex mumbled as she got up from her terminal her purse in hand as she left the café.

"Ms. Hunter I thought if I walked around here I would find you again, why don't you come with me?" The man said taking hold of Alex's arm in a vice like grip and leading her through the crowds. "I was quite surprised this morning when I didn't see your friend in the paper at all. You told me he was dead." The well dressed man said as he tightened his grip on Alex's arm.

Wincing slightly Alex looked at the man "I really thought he was dead, he didn't look like he was breathing. I'm not a doctor, I checked for a pulse and I couldn't find one." Alex hissed as she pulled her arm free. "You wanted the clock authenticated as being real, you never told me not to bring Neal in. So how was I supposed to know" she added taking a step away for her own safety.

Spencer Carson tightened his hands into fists as he attempted to reign in his anger. "If isn't in the paper then he's still alive. If I go to jail sweetheart you're going down as well." he said in a low voice as a pair of business men walked by. Alex froze she knew that going back to prison was not an option.

"I'll do what I can to find him; Neal is limited as you know so finding him is just a matter of roaming two miles and looking for him." Alex said as she hitched her bag up onto her shoulder as she turned and walked away.

She hailed a cab when she reached the sidewalk; after she gave the driver directions she sat back against the seat and watched as the city moved around her. When the cab stopped at her destination Alex paid the driver before getting out of the cab, she looked around before walking down the sidewalk toward an expensive town house.

Alex took her time as she walked, she kept her eyes open for any sign of the police or Neal's fed handler. Alex was against working with Neal but she needed his help the night before. She had thousands of possible dollars waiting for her if the clock was real. When she was across the street from the lavish looking town house Alex stood there looking at it as if it was item to fence.

When a dark blue Ford Taurus pulled up in front of the town house Alex began to move before she was spotted.

* * *

Peter killed the engine before sighing "So this is where you live, now we have you're anklet is back on and you have been given a pass on work till you can remember who you are." Peter said as he got out of the car with Neal and walked inside with him.

June made her way over to Neal and pulled him into a tight hug "Neal you had me so worried last night, when you didn't come home I called you're friend to see if you were with him and when he said he hadn't seen you all day I nearly lost it." she said keeping Neal in her arms.

Neal stood as still as a statue for a moment his mind began to reel like a movie being fast forwarded. Images of sipping coffee and chatting, park benches and soccer games filled Neal's mind as put his arms around June. Her name still eluded him but he knew that all he could do was apologize at that time. "I'm sorry, I lost track of time and the night got away from me" Neal lied.

"He can't bring himself to tell you that he has no memory right now June…I'll fill you in later, first I have to get him into bed" Peter said as Neal pried himself from June's embrace. "Doctor's orders" he said in a soft voice as he let Peter lead him up to his apartment.

After looking around for a few minutes Neal looked at Peter. "I'm really well off here…" Neal commented as he sat down on his bed. Peter resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the ex con. "I'll call to check in on you later tonight." He said as he walked towards the door.

Biting his lip Neal got up from the bed. "Hey Peter… can you stay for a while?" Neal asked trying not to show how nervous he was. The agent smiled "Nervous about staying in a place you don't remember its okay, knowing your friend he'll be here before you know it." Peter said as he took a seat at the table.

Neal moved cautiously to the table as he sat down. Just before he had a chance to open his mouth his door burst open.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Winding Back**

Mozzie stood in the doorway to Neal's apartment looking at his friend who was currently hanging off of Peter like a scared cat. "Neal you probably don't remember me, but it's me Mozzie your best friend." Mozzie said as he walked into the apartment and closed the door behind him.

Neal released Peter and stood there. "So you're my friend? That is interesting" Neal said as he walked over and shook Mozzie's hand, just as their hands touched Neal had a sense of familiarity.

Peter rose from his chair and looked at the two con men. "Haversham, can I talk to you for a moment?" Peter asked as headed out the doors to the terrace. Mozzie nodded his head and followed the agent; he closed the door behind him.

"Spill Haversham, how many enemies does Neal really have. Someone tried to kill him last night and when they figure out he's still alive they will come back for him. Neal knows something or knew something that he wasn't supposed to and this information is worth attempted murder." Peter said as he kept his back to the view of the city.

Mozzie stood his ground "Well that number has started to rise since he started to work under you. How can you assume that it's someone from Neal's past? Now that he's the poster boy for the FBI now. He's in more danger than ever. " The older man said looking at Peter.

Both men stood like statues staring at each other. Peter had never really trusted what Neal's friend ever said but deep in his heart he knew Mozzie might have been right about Neal being in danger all the time. He wasn't a FBI agent he was just their consultant and even then they put his life at risk multiple times just so they could arrest others like him.

"Look I'm sorry, maybe you're right… I'll look into a few things, I promised Neal I would stay for a while so if you're going to stay, just don't mention Kate's death. He doesn't need that kind of pain right now." Peter said as he moved toward the doors that led back into the apartment.

Neal was walking around his apartment looking at the books and other trinkets that lined the shelves on the wall. When his eyes fell on the empty Bordeaux bottle he felt drawn to it. Just as his fingertips brushed against the bottle he saw the images flashing in his mind. Images of a beautiful woman flashed though his mind. "Kate…?" He whispered softly as Peter and Mozzie walked back inside.

After Neal had convinced his friend that he was fine Mozzie bid the other two men farewell as he left for the day he promised to return when Neal was alone. Peter watched his partner as he sat across from him. "Neal, have you begun to remember anything yet?" Peter asked watching his partner.

"No not yet, everything is still really blurry to me." Neal lied as he rested his elbows on the table and folded his fingers in front of his face. Peter smirked "Neal I chased you for four years I know when you're lying to me, So let me guess you started to remember things about Kate" he deduced the smirk not leaving his face at all.

Neal sat up, his eyes open wide. "Yeah… I mean I think it was her I'm not sure." Neal said being honest. "Peter, thanks staying with me for a while, I don't really remember you but it means a lot that you're staying here with me for a while." Neal said as he moved his hand to rub his forehead.

Peter looked at his partner "Why don't you get some rest, the doctor said that you should take it easy on your first day out of the hospital."He said "Your nightwear is in the third drawer down in the dresser over there and your robe is draped over the footboard of your bed" he added remembering the time when he had spent a few days when he and Elizabeth had the wiring redone in their home.

The ex con walked into his bathroom and changed into a pair of silk pajama bottoms and his robe he brushed his teeth before walking out of the bathroom and going over to his bed. Peter walked over as Neal pulled the comforter up to cover himself. "I'll be checking up on you after work every day until you're cleared to come back to work. Now is there anything you want to ask me before I go? " he asked.

With a shake of his head Neal put his head down on his pillow and fell asleep right away. Peter smirked as he pushed some loose strands of hair out of Neal's face before leaving the apartment. When he got back to his car he looked down both sides of the street for a moment before getting into his car and starting it up. As he drove away he kept an eye on the people shopping and walking around.

When Peter arrived home he crashed on the couch till his wife returned from work. "Hey honey how's Neal?" she asked as she sat down and curled up beside Peter. Letting out a loud sigh Peter put his head back "He's good, his memory is still fuzzy about a lot but in time he should remember everything." Peter remarked as he put his arm around Elizabeth.

"Have you told him about Kate or are you waiting to tell him?" She asked looking at her husband. Peter sat up "he doesn't need that kind of pain right now, its best if he takes his time remembering everything on his own. I'm going to head to June's every day after work to check on him." Peter said rubbing Elizabeth's arm as she cuddled closer.

* * *

For a few days Alex had been keeping tabs on Neal, she watched him walking around the neighborhood and spending time with his landlady and his fed friend. Alex kept her back to the street as Peter's car left June's mansion again after his visit with Neal; she turned when he was at the end of the street. _Apparently he still doesn't remember anything _Alex thought as a black town car pulled up beside her.

She climbed into the car the soft leather brushing against her legs and arms. Across from her was the same man she feared more than respected. "That handler of his was checking out the neighborhood again as he left looking for anyone watching. I don't think he saw me. Neal still hasn't returned to work…" Alex said as the car pulled away from the curb.

Spencer rubbed his chin in thought "Well he was struck quite hard in the head, it's only fair to assume that his amnesia wouldn't go away this soon, which means we have more time than I thought, he is still a liability to our freedom though." He said lowering his hand.

"After you are dropped off Ms. Hunter I will no longer need your services" Spencer said smirking as he tapped the window that divided the car.

"You can drop her off here" he said as the car swept through the traffic to the open curb. Alex didn't look back as she climbed out. She slammed the door with as much force as possible before walking off to be alone. _Looks like I have to play along for now, if I don't I'll either go to jail or I'll end up in an empty lot and I won't be as lucky as Neal._ Alex thought as she began to walk home. On the way she decided to window shop to make herself feel better. When she was bored she picked a few pockets on the rest of the way home.

When she finally got home it was late. She had walked quite a distance and she was ready to sleep. Alex put her purse down and removed her shoes, her feet were killing her, walking into her small kitchen she had a feeling she wasn't alone. Alex moved cautiously over to the island table in the middle of her kitchen. The handle of her gun was barely showing from her purse as she reached for it. Just as her fingertips brushed against the handle she heard movement in the dark living room.

Moving into the living room Alex felt her heart thudding against her ribcage. She pointed the gun into the dark room as she moved forward. With her free hand she felt around for the closest lamp. She wrapped her fingers around the switch when she turned it the switch clicked but the room stayed dark, every fiber in Alex's body screamed at her to run. Turning quickly Alex kept her hand tightly wrapped around her gun as she made a dash for the door.

Before she could even make it to the kitchen she heard someone behind her, Alex readied her voice to scream. Before she could even open her mouth she felt a heavy cord around her throat. Tears immediately sprang into her eyes as she dropped the gun and reached behind her to try and fight off her attacker.

"No…please" she choked out as the cord was pulled tighter. Alex began to gasp for air as her nails clawed for skin or hair. After a moment she began to feel lightheaded. She felt herself on the edge of blacking out from lack of air. "Help…"she croaked tears were flowing down her face as she struggled to breath.

_I'm scared…I don't want to die_ Alex thought as the darkness took over. Her heart began to beat erratically pumping the last of her oxygen though her body, before her lungs were completely empty.

"It's nothing personal; I just can't have loose ends running around where the feds can get to them. Remember its just business." Carson said as he tightened the cord till he felt her go limp. He carefully removed the cord and threw it aside as he lowered Alex's body to the floor carefully; he positioned her on her side. Moving quickly he locked the door behind him as he left the apartment.

When Spencer knew he was far enough away he pulled out a burn phone, he dialed nine-one-one "I would like to report a body, 1504 West 50th street apartment 308." Cason said hanging up as the dispatcher on the other line began to ask his name. Disappearing into the darkness Carson flagged a cab he climbed in and gave the driver his address.

* * *

Neal had woken from another nightmare the apartment was dark, when his eyes finally adjusted to the darkness he was able to make out a lamp on the nightstand. Reaching over he turned the light on and blinked as he looked at the empty apartment. Everything seemed quiet and peaceful. "Peter must have gone home… wherever that is" Neal mumbled to himself as he grabbed his robe off the foot of his bed. Peter had been staying there till fell asleep in the early evenings so he could get some sleep. He had been doing it for the last three days since Neal still had trouble falling asleep.

Once he tied the belt around his waist Neal started to turn lights on around his apartment till the room was filled with warm light. As he walked over to the easel folded up in the corner. When he had it standing and affixed with a large mounted canvas he found his paints and set them out.

Grabbing the pallet he placed the colors he needed and picked up a brush. Without a second thought Neal began to paint, when he started to get warm he removed his robe and tossed it onto the couch. The blank canvas had already begun to explode in color. Heavy reds and oranges covered most of the canvas. To Neal the canvas looked like his nightmare of an explosion, he tried to wrack his mind to figure out why he was having dreams about an explosion.

When Neal felt his wrist get sore he stopped and looked at the painting. There was a large blank portion. Walking around the room Neal looked at the blank space he knew something belonged there but he couldn't figure out what went there.

Before Neal could even pick up the brush again there was a soft knock on the door. Neal walked over and opened the door. "June? What are you doing up?" Neal asked opening the door up more to his landlady.

June looked at the young man "I heard you walking around and I wanted to make sure that everything was all right." June said as she took a seat at the table. She looked at the painting. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked.

Neal moved to an open chair and sat down "I still can't remember much but little memories or faces keep flashing in my mind. That… what I painted I don't remember at all and there is a piece missing still." Neal said letting out a sigh.

"I can't remember this Kate person, at all no matter how hard I try I think I see her face but I'm not sure. I started to remember Peter and Mozzie. Maybe speaking to them helped." Neal said rubbing his forehead a bit to combat the oncoming headache.

June looked at her tenet and friend "Don't force it, when you're mind is ready you'll remember everything." She said softly. "Why don't you try to get some more sleep Neal…you look tired" June remarked as she noticed the faint dark circles under Neal's eyes.

Nodding his head in agreement Neal made his way over to the bed when he put his head back down on the pillow he instantly felt tired again. "Goodnight June" he mumbled into the pillow. "Goodnight Neal" she whispered back with a smile as she left the apartment and walked back to her room.

* * *

Peter had been up for hours he was reading over a few cases that he knew he needed Neal's help with. There was one case that they had just started before Neal's attack.

Six heavily insured paintings had been stolen from a private residence to many the case looked like a cake walk, there was no forced entry and everything was too perfect it had to have been an inside job. Peter knew better it was way too perfect and Neal agreed with him. Peter was so engrossed with the file he almost didn't notice his phone going off till he saw the blinking light out of the corner of his eye.

"Burke" Peter said answering his phone. On the other end of the phone Hughes sighed as he sat in his office.

"Peter, I was just about to leave when I got a call from a local Leo, they have a body and it seems the apartment they were sent to is filled with quite a few items on the hot sheets as stolen artwork and other items that fall under our category." Hughes said as he looked at the file on his desk.

Closing his eyes for a moment Peter held back a yawn. "Sir, I'll get on it first thing in the morning, has the body been identified yet as someone we're after?" Peter asked leaning back in his seat.

Reese sighed "The body was identified as Alexandra Hunter, now I know Caffrey has history with her so I'll leave it to you to tell him. Is he at you're place now?" Hughes asked as he reached forward and closed the file.

"No… he's at June's" Peter said as he got up from his chair he grabbed his car keys and stuffed them into his pocket as scribbled a note to Elizabeth before he left the house and got into his car, before he realized it he was driving to June's in the dead of night. "I'll tell him in the morning, I should go sir, yes I'll be in on time" Peter said hanging up as he pulled up in front of June's dark home.

Peter was worried; he had feared that something might have happened to Neal. When he got out of the car he ran up to the front door and rang the doorbell multiple times till the older woman was there in her bathrobe letting him in.

"Peter is everything all right?" June asked as she followed Peter up the stairs to the second floor. Pausing slightly Peter sighed "I need to speak to Neal right away." He said as he made his way to Neal's apartment. He saw Neal sleeping in his bed. Taking in a deep breath Peter walked over to the bed and shook Neal awake. "Neal… Neal get up we have to talk" Peter said.


	4. Chapter 4

**(( sorry for taking so long everyone, I don't own anything here except the characters I make and this story is almost over then I have a new idea so on with the story ))  
Chapter 4: Repairing Time**

Neal's head felt heavy as he woke up, after a few minutes he had a cup of fresh coffee in his hands. "Neal… do you remember a woman by the name of Alex?" Peter asked as he tried to figure out how to speak to Neal about his friend.

With a small nod Neal held his coffee cup in his hands for warmth as he stood out on the terrace beside Peter. "After I did that painting earlier I began to remember more of the past I can clearly remember everything up to the first time you arrested me. Everything gets fuzzy after that, why?" Neal asked his blue eyes locking with Peter's making the agent's job harder. Peter closed his eyes for a moment.

"She was found in her apartment about an hour ago… Neal… she wasn't as lucky as you. I'm sorry." Peter said as he looked for any sort of response from Neal. Neal moved past Peter and walked into his apartment. After being quiet for a moment Neal turned around "Take me there, I have to go there right now." Neal said as he grabbed a turtleneck and threw it on.

He rooted around in a drawer till he had a pair of regular pants. He threw them on with a pair of loafers. "If you don't take me I'll walk by myself." He threatened as he made his way to the door.

Peter followed behind his partner till he was outside. "Neal I'll take you there" Peter said as he got in the car. When he got the directions from Neal the other man looked out the window. "Neal if you want to talk about it…" Peter remarked as he tried to get his partner to talk through the pain. "Just drive the car" Neal snapped as he waited for Peter to get to the building.

When they arrived Neal was out of the car in the blink of an eye, he forced his way through the police line at the door to the building. They backed off when Peter flashed his badge as he followed Neal into the elevator. When the doors closed Peter looked at his partner.

"I know you're in pain but you need to check that attitude at the door Neal or else you're going home." Peter said as the doors opened. Neal moved down the hall till he was outside the open door. One officer argued with Neal till Peter walked up and showed his badge again.

Neal stepped into the apartment when he reached the kitchen he froze as he saw the covered body. "Are you done in here?" Peter asked the forensic techs that were collecting evidence. When they nodded Peter looked at the detective "They were close can he have a minute to say goodbye?" Peter asked.

When the detective on the scene waved them through Neal moved closer as Peter walked out to the hallway to speak to the detective. Neal stepped to the side to let the techs go by. "I don't care what you say, she's still hot enough to do" one of the techs said as they walked past Neal.

Turning around Neal launched himself at the man knocking him to the floor. Before he realized it he was yelling and throwing punches as hard as he could. Peter rushed back into the apartment with the detective. It took both of them to pull Neal off the other man. "Control your con Burke…and your boss will be receiving a call soon." The detective said as he left with the injured man.

Peter shoved Neal against and pinned him there by his shoulders. "Are you trying to get thrown back in prison?" Peter asked as he kept his partner against the wall. Neal thrashed against Peter's hold like a wild animal. "Let me go" Neal yelled his voice cracking in the process. Right away the agent knew that his friend was in pain.

"I know it hurts Neal but just let it out" Peter said as he kept Neal pinned till he saw the pain begin to erupt into tears. Neal slid down against the wall and sat balled up his arms around his legs. Peter sighed "I'm going to make a quick phone call, don't you even think about moving or I'll drag you back to prison" Peter warned as he stepped into the hallway he closed the apartment door behind him.

Neal attempted to hold back his tears as his tried to sift through the onslaught of memories that filled his mind. Neal crawled over to Alex's side and pushed the cover back to reveal her face.

"Alex I'm so sorry…" Neal mumbled softly as he brushed his finger against her cheek as he sat beside her. "I swear that I'll find who did this to you." He sniffled trying to keep the rest of his tears at bay. Neal placed a goodbye kiss on Alex's forehead he closed his eyes softly. "I'll make him pay…" Neal mumbled softly as he sat up and slowly pulled the cover over his friend and stood up.

Moving into the kitchen Neal opened the cabinet and reached into the back where he knew Alex kept her book of contacts. Neal slipped the small book into his jacket pocket just as Peter walked back inside with the coroner. "Hughes wants us at the office; you're in deep trouble after that little attack on that technician."Peter said as he led Neal out of the apartment.

* * *

After a long silent traffic filled car ride to the FBI office Neal was sitting at his desk watching Hughes and Peter talk though Neal knew it was hardly talking. Hughes was red in the face and Peter nodding at every other word.

Lauren walked over to Neal's desk she could see the pain in his eyes. "Neal…your hand is covered in blood are you all right?" she asked looking at the blood once more before locking eyes with Neal.

"I'm fine, I just hit someone is all… hey Lauren did Peter and I have any cases we were working on before you know my attack?" He asked his blue eyes searching hers.

She sighed and leaned over a bit and brought the case up on the computer screen. "After your attack Jones and I were assigned the case, the guy claims someone broke in to his place and stole a very expensive clock off his mantel. But with no signs of a break in it's looking like an inside job." Lauren said as she pulled a picture of the clock up on the screen. "Excuse me…" she said walking off to speak to Jones about something.

Neal looked the clock on the computer screen. His head began to pound as he began to remember the night of his attack. Raising his hand up to his head Neal rubbed his temples as the memories started to play like an old movie.

* * *

: Six days before:

Neal leaned against the door of his apartment as he looked at the woman in front of him. "Alex…what are you doing here I thought you said you didn't want anything to do with me while I worked for the feds. Those were your exact words when I asked for the music box." Neal said as he loosened his tie. He had worked a long day with Peter.

Alex rose from the chair she had been sitting on "I know that I said that but I need some help, I've got a guy trying to sell me an antique clock, but I'm thinking it's forged I need an expert."

Giving a loud sigh Neal readjusted his tie and grabbed his hat off the back of the small loveseat beside him. "Fine, but leave me out of anything else. Peter won't take this well if he knew I was doing this." Neal said as he let Alex lead him out of June's house to a black town car waiting for the both of them.

When Neal climbed into the car he plastered his famous charming smile at the man sitting across from him. The car began to drive around till they came to an empty lot. "Ms. Hunter says you're quite good at what we need." Spencer said as he climbed out of the car with Neal and Alex.

Looking around Neal noticed that he was just pushing it with his tracking anklet. He glanced at his watch as a cold rain filled breeze ripped through the small lot. It was close to eleven Neal just wanted to hurry and get home before he got sick and made Peter mad for maybe missing work.

"Not to be rude but, what are we doing in an empty lot?" Neal asked as he faced the man. Spencer chuckled "Your friend brought you here; apparently she can't tell if the item in question is real or a well done forgery." Spencer said as he moved to the truck of the town car.

Alex flushed as she looked down "I hate to admit it but he's right, that's why I called you in" she said as she bit her lip in worry.

Neal smirked as he sauntered over to the trunk of the car; he reached in and pulled the clock out of the box with a huff. "Rosewood…Army and Navy clock around 1885… Hey I never got your name." Neal said as he handed the clock over to Spencer. "That's because I didn't give it, why the sudden interest in my name?" Spencer asked as he held onto the clock tightly.

"Well it's just a clock like this isn't going to get a lot of money on its own but claiming it was stolen while at the same time selling it on the black market would turn a nice profit. But that is defrauding an insurance company which is against the law. I can't help out anymore than I have it's passed my curfew" Neal said with a smirk as he turned to Alex.

Spencer growled low in his throat as he lifted the clock above his head and slamming it hard down on Neal's head. Alex bit back a scream as she caught Neal as he fell to ground. She stumbled back under the man's weight she sat roughly in the mud.

Looking down at the bloody wound on Neal's head she brushed her fingers against his neck looking for a pulse. When she couldn't find one she lowered Neal to the ground as Spencer climbed back into the town car. When the car was gone she looked down at Neal his blood had smeared on her arm. The rain had begun to wash it away.

Alex walked away the heavy rain soaking her to the bone as she left the empty lot she noticed a flashing clock in the window of a shop it was five minutes to midnight. She looked up into the rain to cover the tears streaking down her face. Alex walked over to the edge of the building and watched the drops of rain begin to slow down. "Forgive me Neal…" Alex whispered as she rubbed her eyes in a futile attempt to stop her tears as she resumed her long walk home.

* * *

Neal opened his eyes he wasn't in a muddy lot anymore, his head wasn't splitting open in pain the sky was a soft blue and the ground a rich green. Neal got up slowly he walked around looking at everything. At that moment he saw someone standing just feet from him.

"You're going to catch flies if you leave your mouth hanging open like that Neal" Kate said as she walked closer. She smiled at the ex con. "Kate… but…so I'm dead, does that mean this is heaven?" Neal asked looking around once more.

Kate smiled "It's what you imagine heaven to be, oh Neal…I missed you." Kate said as she put her arms around Neal. Sinking to his knees Neal wept as he felt Kate's fingers in his hair. "Neal… I know you want to stay but…it's not your time. I know it hurts to hear this but Peter, Mozzie, Alex and the others need you now. If you die they would never be the same." Kate whispered as she pulled Neal to his feet.

Pulling Kate into his embrace Neal held her close. "I don't want to go back, I can barely function without you Kate." Neal whispered into her ear softly his tears finally subsiding. He wanted to stand there till the end of everything and just hold Kate.

"I know… but trust me; I'll be waiting for you here when you return." Kate said softly as she pulled Neal into a deep passionate kiss. Neal closed his eyes as he felt the jolt from the kiss he swore he heard Peter's voice in the distance. When he pulled away from Kate he felt like he was falling. Neal sat up quickly opening his eyes.

: Present day:

Neal snapped out of his daze he swallowed the lump in his throat he remembered everything. Looking at the computer screen in front of him he saw the address in front of him. Slowly rising from his chair Neal looked at Lauren. "Tell Peter I'm going out for coffee" he said as he walked out of the office and into the elevator.

He looked at his tracker it was on, the address was in the area so he was didn't have to worry about getting in trouble just yet.

Once he left the federal building Neal hailed a cab and got in the back and gave the driver the address to an office building almost a mile from the FBI headquarters.

After arriving Neal took a deep breath as he walked inside to the main desk. Once he found out his next destination he rode the elevator to the tenth floor. It took all of four seconds to locate his target walking between the cubicles to his office. Neal walked up to him and decided to play it dumb.

"Excuse me are you Spencer Carson? I'm Neal Caffrey can we speak somewhere more private it's about a mutual friend of ours." Neal said as he was lead into a large office in the back corner. Spencer motioned for Neal to take a seat. "I'm sorry but which friend is this?" He asked as he sat across from Neal.

Neal had to bite back a snarl as he restrained himself from grabbing something and throwing it in anger. "Alex Hunter, she was strangled last night in her apartment…and I know you were the one that did it." Neal said a fierce look in his eyes.

Spencer smirked "Well, it seems you finally remember me. It was just business, that night I realized who you were and I just couldn't let you scamper to your fed friend and Ms. Hunter was getting cold feet I could tell she was about to call the police on me so I had to take care of her. You should have heard her beg. I wish she had put up more of a fight" He said as he slipped a gun out of the bottom drawer of the desk.

"Now Mr. Caffrey why don't you lock my office door and quickly close the blinds before someone sees. Then take your seat again and be quick because if someone walks in I'll shoot them." Spencer said as he watched Neal move quickly to lock the door and close the blinds before returning to his seat.

It was at that point Neal wished that he had access to a pair of scissors to cut his tracking anklet and alert Peter to his problems. _I would gladly take Peter chewing me out for doing this only after I get this guy behind bars._ Neal thought as he sat as still as a statue.

Rising from his own chair Spencer smirked as his hostage. "When I heard you still alive I decided that you deserved a more special end than having a French clock brought down on your head…again." He said as he pulled a role of duck tape out of the drawer.

Moving around the desk Spencer put his gun down as he tightly taped Neal's wrists to the arms of the chair he was sitting in. When he was done Spencer ripped another piece and put it over Neal's mouth to keep him quiet. "I can't have you calling for help, oh I almost forgot something" he said pulling a small brown bottle out of his pocket.

Neal could tell that is was a recycled bottle that once held vanilla extract the label was the same brand that Kate had used. It would have been a very low chance the bottle was filled with something safe to drink. He removed the cap as he spoke.

"I thought I would get creative with you, instead of a quick painless death or a semi painless death I decided that you're going to know its coming but not what to expect. Now this will hurt" the man said as he ripped the tape off Neal's mouth, he could already see the skin around Neal's lips turn red from the abuse.

Using his free hand he grabbed Neal's jaw and squeezed it till the ex con's mouth was open. Spencer poured the bottle's contents into Neal's mouth before covering his mouth and nose till he swallowed the bitter liquid. Neal could tell that the bottle wasn't filled to the top for a reason.

With a smirk Spencer grabbed his pen knife and twirled it in his fingers. "Now you should know that four hundred milligram of what you drank is a life threatening dose which some say would happen in six to twelve or eight to twelve hours from now. If I wanted you dead right now I would have shot you but this is more amusing so have fun with the symptoms."He said chuckling at the con.

"Peter will arrest you and you're going to rot in jail so even if I die I you're going to go down for double murder" the con said as he looked away toward the window. He knew that soon enough Peter would notice he was missing and follow his tracker to his location.

* * *

Peter walked out of Hughes's office and right away he noticed Neal's empty desk. He made a beeline for the empty desk. "Where did Caffrey go?" Peter asked as he looked around for someone to answer him. Jones walked over from his desk. "Lauren said he went to get coffee about um… fifty minutes ago." He said noticing that Peter was looking mad.

"I tell him to sit still and he just wanders off." Peter mumbled to himself as he glanced at the computer he saw the case file on the screen. "Jones, pull up Neal's tracker" he said as he walked over to the agent's desk.

Jones typed in Neal's information as the map came up, a small window popped up that read no signal in red letters. "There's no signal but the tracker doesn't seem to be cut, it looks like wherever Neal is has a very high end frequency jammer, no cell service or tracker." Jones said sighing.

Peter looked at the map. "Play the information from the moment he left here to the moment he disappeared."Peter said watching as the screen came alive, the tracker showed Neal in motion from the FBI office going northwest till it stopped. "That's Carson's office, Lauren and I interviewed him there about his stolen clock. But why would Neal go there?" Jones asked looking up at Peter.

"Well it all makes sense now, the day that guy Carson reports his clock stolen Neal gets attacked in a lot and six days after that Alex who is a fence ends up dead. She must have asked Neal to help authenticate the clock. Neal must have said or done something that gave up he worked for us and he was attacked. So when Alex was killed Carson was tying up loose ends which means Neal is in danger." Peter said as he moved from Jones's desk to retrieve his gun and coat from his office.

Following Peter quickly Jones blocked his door "If this guy is as dangerous as we think then you should take a vest." He said handing Peter a standard issue bullet resistant vest. Peter took the vest and put it on before putting his coat on. He left the office and made his way to the office building where Neal's anklet went dark.


	5. Chapter 5

**((This is the final chapter for Companions, everyone please keep a look out for the sequel to this story, it has yet to be named but it will be appearing sometime in August after the 4****th****))**

**Chapter 5: Tolling Bell**

Spencer walked around the chair Neal was strapped too and watched him like he was a work of art. "If you manage to survive this time again I will be pleasantly surprised. Now I'm sure that poor excuse for a fed will be here soon and I don't need you calling for help so I think I'm going to need a gag" Spencer said as he ripped another large strip of tape off the roll and put it over Neal's mouth. He made sure the tape was not tight on his wrists but in enough layers so the con couldn't break free.

Neal struggled against the multiple layers of tape holding him to the chair, the glue pulled at the top layer of skin on his wrist. Neal knew that he was stuck but every instinct in his body told him to keep struggling till the tape broke or the arm of the chair broke. Neal yelled at the top of his lungs but it sounded like a dull roar under the tape over his mouth.

"Now don't be like that, it's your own fault for showing up here without anyone. I guess I should mention that this floor is protected by a frequency jammer which means anything that transmits waves like that fancy tracker on your leg isn't going to work so you could be here for days before someone notices." Carson remarked as he shut the lights off in his office and unlocked the door.

_I should have told Peter what I was going to do before I left, but I got so angry that I just took off before I could even think about telling him where I was going. _ Neal thought as he felt he tape pulling tighter against his wrists.

With a loud chuckle Spencer picked up a silencer from his desk and screwed it onto his gun and tapped it against his hand. "I'm sure you are curious about the symptoms of the liquid you drank well your initial symptoms will be fever, sweating, drowsiness, confusion, abdominal pain, and vomiting." He said laughing as he pointed the gun at Neal.

Glaring at his captor Neal watched the gun closely. He was sure the man in front of him was insane. "I guess you want to know what else you're going to be suffering from, well I don't want to ruin the surprise so you'll just have to wait." He said patting Neal on the head roughly as he took a seat behind his desk.

* * *

Peter entered the building he looked around till he saw a directory, reading the names he found the name he was looking for. Running up the main staircase to the mezzanine level of the lobby he got into an elevator and rode it to the twentieth floor.

Walking down the hall he came up to a desk. "I'm Special Agent Peter Burke; I'm looking for Mr. Carson. I don't have a meeting but he won't mind." Peter said as he was pointed toward the back office. "Thank you, oh and please don't tell him I'm coming I want it to be a surprise." He added as the secretary began to pick up the phone.

Moving down the hallway Peter noticed the lights were off in the office at the end of the hall but he knew that Neal was in there. After years of chasing the younger man Peter had an almost sixth sense about where the con was. Peter pulled his gun out of his holster and held it against his body as he knocked on the door.

When he didn't get an answer Peter opened the door slowly he saw Neal taped to the chair struggling against the bindings keeping him still. Peter moved into the room, just as he reached Neal he heard the office door snap shut.

"You must be agent Burke, now put your gun on the desk and get on your knees by the window" Spencer said as he locked the office door. Neal struggled harder he could hear the top layers of tape snapping, the ex con bit the inside of his cheek at the pain of the tape cutting into his skin.

Spencer smirked as he watched Peter closely "I think we should hear for the peanut gallery before his heart gives out from all his struggling over here."Spencer remarked as he walked over to Neal and ripped the tape off his mouth in one tug.

Neal gave a small whimper at the pain "Hey Peter, what took you so long?" Neal asked a little out of breath.

Peter chuckled "Well I had to track you down first; next time can you listen to me when I tell you to stay at your desk." Peter said trying to keep the mood normal.

"Now is there anything you have to say to each other before you both die?" Spencer asked as he walked over to Peter and put the muzzle of the silencer against his temple. Neal took in a deep breath and pulled with all his strength as the tape finally gave way and separating from the arms of the chair.

Neal grabbed Peter's gun off the table and pointed it at the man who was holding them captive. "Your problem is with me Carson not Peter, shoot me come on… I figured out your plans I'm the liability." Neal said trying to keep the gun in his hand from shaking he didn't like holding a loaded gun. _ Peter would never come alone; a team has to be waiting for him._

Peter watched Neal closely he could see the fear on his friend's face. "Neal it's all right just put my gun down. Don't try to be a hero" Peter said as he felt the muzzle pushed harder against his temple.

"Wait if you let him live I can make it worth your while, I can reproduce perfect copies of everything. Put me on retainer and I'll make you more money than Alex ever could." Neal offered hoping the man in front of him would be swayed by the offer of making money.

Spencer turned around. "I wasn't born yesterday; the minute I let you leave you're going to run." he said as he turned the gun toward Neal.

The ex con swallowed hard he put most of his concentration on keeping his breathing under control. Looking down the barrel of a hand gun or any gun made him very jumpy. "You can trust me; I have nothing else to go back to. My girlfriend is… dead… and I'm nothing more than Neal Caffrey, ex con and pet con to the FBI." Neal said trying to convince his kidnapper that he could help.

"Fine but you have to take the agent out or you'll never be free." Spencer said as he walked around Neal and put his hand over Neal's so the gun was held steady, Spencer's own gun was pressed hard against Neal's lower back the muzzle was pushing hard on Neal's spine. Neal found himself staring into Peter's eyes as he felt his finger pushed down on the trigger.

The recoil of the gun shook through Neal's arm as he watched Peter fall against the floor, he tried to pull his hand away but he felt the gun keep going off till the clip was empty. Neal heard the office door being kicked in, he didn't notice when Spencer was pulled away from him and handcuffed. Neal let the gun be taken from his hand he was scared he was going back to prison for sure for murdering Peter in cold blood.

When he was alone he crouched down and curled into a ball, he couldn't look at Peter's body. "Hey Neal are you all right?" Peter asked as he stood up and pulled his partner to his feet.

Neal felt his eyes grow wide till he saw that Peter's jacket was open revealing the vest "I didn't shoot you, I mean I did but I didn't mean too." Neal said as Peter pulled him into a one armed hug. "I hate guns so much" Neal mumbled against Peter's shoulder as he stayed in the hug.

Peter gave a small chuckle "Don't worry he's going to jail for everything he's done." Peter remarked as he sat his partner down on a chair. Neal looked down at the floor he felt dizzy. "Peter, can you take me back to June's?" Neal asked as he watched Carson being led from the room in handcuffs.

"Caffrey, I might go down for murder and attempted murder but so will you. Your prints are on the trigger not mine." Spencer laughed as Jones dragged him out of the office. Neal began to shake at the truth. Peter removed his jacket it and put it over Neal's shoulders. "Don't listen to him. But we are going to have a very long talk later." Peter said as he helped Neal out of the office.

* * *

Peter watched Neal out of the corner of his eye as he drove him to June's. In the years he had been chasing his partner Peter could always tell when Neal was hiding something. "All right what's wrong? I know you too well to let this go on any longer. I'm fine Neal the bullets didn't hurt other than knocking the wind out of me." Peter said as he pulled up to a stop light.

Neal gave a small chuckle "I'm glad you weren't hurt Peter, because Elizabeth would kill me if something happened to you." Neal said as he put his head against the window to rest.

"So when did you get your memories back?" Peter asked as he drove up the street to June's place. When Neal didn't answer him he looked over and saw Neal was asleep. Sighing lightly Peter parked in front of June's and shook Neal awake. "Why don't you go to sleep early tonight, I'll come get you in the morning since you seem to have your memories back you can start work again." Peter said as Neal unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car.

Nodding his head Neal closed the car door and made his way up the stairs to the front door when he stumbled he grabbed the front door for support. Peter killed the engine and locked his car quickly as he moved over to Neal and looked him over.

Peter helped Neal inside and up to his apartment. "Are you feeling all right?" Peter asked as he sat Neal down on his bed. "I'm fine Peter; you don't have to stay I'm going to take your advice and get to sleep early and you'll know exactly where I am."Neal chuckled as he kicked his loafers off.

Watching his partner closely Peter stood by the front door as Neal dug through his dresser till he found a pair of pajama bottoms. Stumbling to the bathroom Neal changed his clothes and put his robe on and trudged out of the bathroom when he looked up he saw his table and chairs pushed aside to make room.

"I didn't need you to trip over anything if you got up in the middle of the night" Peter said as he slid the last chair over to the far wall. Neal gave a small smile as he dragged himself to bed each step made his head pound, after a couple steps he began to shuffle across the floor till he reached his bed.

Neal crawled into bed and pulled the blankets up halfway. "Peter… thanks for saving my life" he mumbled as he pulled the duvet up and covered his head. The FBI agent watched the bed for a moment. He knew there was something seriously wrong Neal never got sick though there was the one exception when one of the close encounters where he nearly caught Neal on his and Elizabeth's anniversary. He had Neal cornered at a party at a museum. Neal had slipped out an open window in the bathroom by using his winter coat as a rope.

Peter had be mad at himself for letting Neal get away it was only after he got home that he had ten emails from an unknown source berating him for chasing Neal out into winter night without a heavy coat. He knew it was Kate, only she would send him an email on his private email account and writes a letter nearly a foot long telling him it was his fault Neal was sick.

"Neal…you're never sick, what did Carson do to you?" Peter said as he pulled the heavy duvet off his partner. Neal closed his eyes tighter to block out the light. "Put the covers back down, my head is killing me." He mumbled as he ripped the cover out of Peter's hands and covered his head again.

* * *

June had worried about Neal she saw Peter help him inside, when she entered Neal's apartment she came face to face with Peter. "What's wrong with Neal? He didn't look well before" June said as she was led into the room by the FBI agent.

"I don't know, he's complaining of the light hurting his eyes. I was just about to ask you to sit with him while I make a call. He shouldn't be alone right now." Peter said softly as he looked at the shape under the covers. "I'm calling for an ambulance he got sick too fast for this to be normal." Peter whispered as he pulled his phone out.

Just as he began to dial Jones's cell number he heard Neal yell out in pain, Peter nearly dropped his phone as he ran back to Neal's bedside. Not stopping to warn the ex con he ripped the duvet off the bed.

Neal had curled himself into a tight ball his arms wrapped around his middle his fingernails were dug deep enough into his sides that they were drawing blood. June cupped her hands over her mouth as Neal let out another painful cry. "My insides feel like their being torn out" he ground out through the waves of pain.

Peter looked at Neal's landlady and handed her his cell "Call for an ambulance, tell them it's most likely a poisoning." Peter said as he pushed a few locks of Neal's hair out of his eyes.

"I know it hurts right now Neal but we need to get you to a hospital and you have to tell us what happened." Peter said as helped Neal sit up despite Neal's objections. Neal let his head fall over and land on his partner's shoulder. "It wasn't vanilla…it was bitter" he mumbled in a moment of peace.

June kept a level head as she relayed Neal's symptoms to the dispatcher on the other end of the line. "From the sounds of it, he might have been poisoned…no we're not sure with what all we know is that it was bitter" June said into the phone.

Groaning loudly Neal dug his nails deeper into his skin as another wave of cramping started. Watching her young renter cringe in pains she turned her eyes away "I'll go downstairs and wait for the ambulance."June said as she left the apartment and went to the front door.

When the ambulance arrived she led the EMTs up the stairs to Neal's room, as they entered the room Peter stood up "Okay let's get you to the hospital" he said grabbing Neal by the forearm and pulling him up to his feet.

Neal crumbled to his knees with Peter still holding his arm. "Peter, my legs… I can't feel them." The con said looking up at his partner fear set in his eyes. Before Peter could react the EMTs had Neal on a portable stretcher.

"Peter, call Mozzie…please." The younger man said as he raised his hands to his head to block out the light that was making his head pound again. After promising nearly a dozen times as the EMTs brought Neal down the stairs Peter had managed to talk his way into riding with Neal to the hospital.

The ride seemed long to Peter especially when he had to watch his friend and partner in pain. Neal in Peter's opinion had begun to look worse than ever. Peter had seen Neal in terrible pain when Kate died but that seemed like nothing at the moment.

As the ambulance pulled into the ambulance bay of the hospital Neal was gripping Peter's hand so tightly that the agent believed some of his fingers might have been broken. "Neal you have to let go so I can call Haversham."Peter said as he tried to pull his hand free.

Neal finally released his partner's hand and tightened his hand into a fist to keep from screaming in pain. The doctors wheeled him into the emergency room. Neal began to feel sick as the nurse put an IV needle in his arm. He drew the line at the tube they wanted to put down his throat to pump what poison remained in his stomach.

Peter had just finished his call with Mozzie when he was asked to calm Neal down like he was a child who needed his father. The agent was shocked with how many orderlies were called in to hold Neal. "Neal, calm down right now, if you don't then you're going to die and then you'll never know what happened to Kate."Peter said in his most serious tone.

The words froze Neal like a statue allowing the doctor and nurses to help him, when they finished the doctor wrote something down before turning to Peter. Are you his health care proxy?" the doctor asked looking Peter over for a moment.

"No, I'm his handler. Peter Burke FBI, Neal's my consultant; his friend should be here soon." Just as Peter finished his sentence Mozzie walked up to the two men. "Haversham; okay now you were saying doctor?" Peter asked hoping Neal would be all right.

The doctor led Peter and Mozzie out of the room and down to a more private area of the emergency room. "From what we can tell Mr. Caffrey was poisoned with solanine which is commonly found in nature in potatoes that have spoiled or in nightshade. For this many symptoms he must have taken more than four hundred milligrams which is enough to kill." The doctor remarked.

Peter looked at his phone and quickly dialed Jones's number "Jones, at the crime scene or on Carson's person was there any bottles… how many ounces? Yes, I'll call in later" Peter said hanging up. "He drank a fluid ounce" Peter said.

Doctor Wisener sighed "When we pumped his stomach we didn't pull much out. Solanine is quickly absorbed so all we can do now is flush his system with saline and hopefully that will help him survive. He's going to be moved to the intensive care unit soon."Wisener said looking at the two men.

* * *

Neal felt drowsy as he was wheeled to the elevator and taken to the fourth floor. He fought to keep his eyes open, after a few seconds he let his eyes close and sleep take over. The ex con was breathing softly as he slept. The room was filled monitors beeping like an electronic symphony of life and death.

Peter and Mozzie had found Neal's room and took their sentry positions by his bed as they waited. Peter had called Elizabeth and June to tell them of Neal's condition. June came to the hospital as soon as possible; Neal was like family to her.

Elizabeth had run out of the biggest job her job had ever seen when she heard about Neal, she knew her assistants would take care of everything but she knew it was a lost cause with her action but she didn't care. When she got there she pulled Peter out into the hallway.

"How bad is it?" she asked looking at Neal through the open door. Peter sighed "It's pretty bad, they pumped his stomach and there wasn't much left so the doctors decided to try and flush his system with saline and bed rest for now." he said softly looking at his partner lying in the hospital bed.

Time ticked by slowly as Neal slept; Peter had kept his seat by Neal while the others came and went from the waiting room.

By five-thirty Neal opened his eyes. "Hey Peter" Neal rasped his throat dry from being asleep for so long.

"How long have I been out?" Neal asked as he pushed himself up into a seated position. The younger man felt himself get pulled over into a hug. It was a comfortable hug that didn't feel forced at all.

Peter released Neal after a moment "You were pretty touch and go a couple hours ago with a fever but it seems to have gone down finally. The doctors want to keep you here for a while, before you even start arguing Neal the answer is no. You could have died this morning" Peter said with a stern but cautious tone.

Giving a charming smile Neal moved a bit so he was more comfortable in his hospital bed. "You said it yourself Peter my fever is over, so I can check myself out if I want." Neal said as he pushed himself toward the edge of the bed.

"Neal you're going to stay in this bed even if I have to tie you down then handcuff you to the bed." the agent said with an I'm not joking look on his face. Neal bit his bottom lip as he tried not to smile. "Peter I never knew you had such a fetish for bondage. Then again you have always wanted to see me in handcuffs. " he said laughing at the look Peter gave him.

Laughing along with his partner Peter stopped laughing but his face still held a twisted smile that Neal never liked because it always meant bad things. "You want to know something really funny? Hughes has approved my request for personal punishment when you do something this stupid again. I was thinking the only way you would learn is my belt against your backside but then I realized you would learn better by spanking." He said rising from his chair.

Sitting with his mouth open slightly Neal gaped for a moment "You're joking right…Peter tell me you're joking, Hughes didn't really approved that, did he?" Neal asked in a very worried tone. When Peter didn't answer Neal looked out the door hoping that Mozzie or Elizabeth would walk in and save him from Peter and his spanking.

"Don't worry I'm going to wait till you're completely healthy again." Peter said as he walked towards the door. "Neal…I'm glad that you're alive" he added as Mozzie walked into the room followed by Neal's doctor.

After a thorough check up Doctor Wisener smiled at Neal "You must have a guardian angel Mr. Caffrey because the amount of solanine you drank should have killed you hours ago it's a miracle that I'm even speaking to you."He said writing a few notes on Neal's chart he looked at the con

Neal smiled "So does this mean I can go home soon?" Neal asked, his eyes glowing with hope that he could leave the hospital soon.

"I don't see why not after a couples days, I just want to make sure that your other organs weren't damaged by the toxins" Wisener said before leaving the room. Peter smirked "You're going to be staying with me for a few days when you get out, for certain reasons."Peter said his smirk growing wider.

Neal's smile faded "You weren't joking were you…" he said with a deep gulp. He knew right away that he wouldn't be sitting right for a month.

**((Thank you so much for reading companions everyone, there will be a sequel but it won't be out till August since I am going away for a week. If I don't respond to your replies please be patient. ~ Loves & Hugs everyone. I would like to thank everyone who helped me on this and though my writer's blocks when they came along))**


	6. Author's Note

Author note: Sequel to Companions is called Lights , Camera, Con and it has been posted 


	7. Author's Note 2

Author's Note

The newest sequel to this story has now been posted it is called the Dragon's Den I hope you all enjoy. For all of those fans waiting for the slash between Peter and Neal it finally happens and for those who want to know more about Neal's family you get to meet them and find out just how Neal became Neal. This newest instalment takes the characters to to some dark places I hope you enjoy it.

I would like to thank all my returning fans who have followed the story through the series and I hope you enjoy the latest installment and I hope to hear your feedback on the story.

Loves and Hugs BBB


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